One Fine Day
by LeanaVine
Summary: AU. Dean Winchester is a photographer and Castiel Novak is an aspiring writer, and they're both very busy. Fate tangles them together for one, fine day. (Based on the movie One Fine Day. Human!Castiel, Human!Gabriel, Human!Balthazar, Human!Meg. Child!Sam, Child!Gabriel. Includes Man/Man. Destiel, Dean/Castiel. Slight Balthazar/Castiel. Slight Dean/Lisa.)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Yes, another _Supernatural _story. Do you guys hate me yet? I _promise _I'm still planning on finishing my other stories, but I had to write this. Some of you can already tell, but for those who can't, this is loosely based on the movie _One Fine Day _with George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer. I loved that movie, and I thought I could do a spinoff with Dean and Castiel. Let me know if I was successful.

And for those of you who haven't seen the movie, I'm just stealing some scenes and moments from the movie, but most of this story is my own creation.

Don't forget, if you guys review this chapter, you'll be put on the wall of fame for the next chapter.

As always, I do not share any views expressed by any characters in this story. And I own nothing in this story.

Please read, review, and enjoy.

* * *

"No, Meg, we already discussed this," Dean Winchester grumbled as he put a blue coat on his five year old son, Sam. "I can't have any scheduling's today. I have to do my business with Lisa, and then I'm spending the day with Sam." He zipped up Sam's coat, then stood, looking around for his keys. During this time, Sam ran back into his bedroom. "Why? Because with all this divorce shit, it's been too long since I spent some quality time with him," Dean replied in a more hushed tone, so Sammy wouldn't hear.

**"Are you sure you aren't just scared that you're going to lose custody of him?" **Meg asked from the other end.

"Of course not! Lisa had no problem agreeing to shared custody; I'm not scared of that at all. I have no reason to be." He grabbed his keys and held the phone away from his face, calling out, "Sammy, let's go!"

Sam came running out of his room, clutching his favorite stuffed triceratops, Dinoroar. "Ready," he said, smiling up at his father.

Dean frowned at him, then mumbled into the phone, "We'll talk more later. And please give my apologies to the Wyatt family, but please make it clear that it is _your _fault, seeing as you didn't call them to inform them that I wouldn't be able to do a shoot with them today." He closed his phone, then crouched down, eyeing the stuffed animal in Sam's arms. "Sammy, do you really have to bring Dinoroar today? We're going to be running around a lot, and I don't want you to leave him somewhere like last time."

"I promise I'll be careful," Sam reassured him with big eyes. "Please let me bring him. He's been really lonely lately, and I think some fun would be good for him."

Dean couldn't help but smile at that, and nodded. "Okay, Sammy, you can bring him. I promise, after I go and talk to Mommy about a couple of things, we're going to spend the day doing anything you and Dinoroar want, okay?"

Today, Dean was going to see his wife of nine years, Lisa, so that he could get her to sign their divorce papers. The day already wasn't going well, as his assistant Meg had called to tell him that he was late for his photo shoot of the Wyatt family portrait. Dean had clearly informed her the night before to cancel all of his appointments, because he would be getting his divorce papers signed and then spending the day with his son. It didn't help that he was starting to feel depressed about getting divorced at 34, knowing that his chances of meeting someone and getting married again in time to have more kids before he turned 40 weren't too great.

He had lied before, about not being nervous about the divorce. Though Lisa had seemed perfectly okay with sharing custody of Sam, his lawyer had told him that, in some cases, the wife would change their mind just before the hearing. They would tenaciously seek out sole custody, having decided that their future ex-husband was less than worthy of seeing their own child from time to time.

Now, he was in a hurry to get the papers signed, and for the hearing to take place, before she could turn a new leaf. So on that day, the plan was to drop by her work and just take a moment of her time to get the papers signed. He had called the night before to make sure that she would keep her ass planted at her desk long enough to get this little task over with. Since she was a journalist, she had a tendency to just get up and run and follow the scent of a new story.

Dean only needed five minutes.

* * *

"Mommy?"

Castiel Novak, 29-year-old, aspiring **male **writer, looked down at his five year old son as he fixed a peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich. "Yes, Gabriel, was is it dear?"

"What all are we going to do today?" Gabriel's eyes were alight with anticipation. Before Castiel could answer, he was bouncing, saying, "I wanna go to the park, and to the zoo, and I want a sundae, and I wanna go fishing, and let's go to a baseball game. Huh, can we Mommy, can we?"

Castiel just laughed, petting back Gabriel's too-long hair. "Sweetie, you know we can't do _all_ of that in one day. Besides, if we do all that fun stuff today, what would we do tomorrow?" When Gabriel pouted, Castiel sighed, putting a pause on crafting the perfect PB&amp;J, and knelt down to let Gabriel sit on his knee. "Gabe, do you remember what we talked about last night? About how important this day is to Mommy?"

Gabriel nodded. "It's going to be the start of a better life for both of us."

With a smile, Castiel nodded. "That's right. Now, I know that you secretly have the heart of a spider monkey." He paused to tickle Gabe, who giggled, went limp, and almost fell off his knee. Castiel let out a happy sigh, and told him, "You just have to be on your best behavior for a few hours, okay? And then after Mommy has finished his business with the men in the suits, we're going to do lots of fun things together. Okay?"

"Promise?"

"I promise, sweetheart."

As Gabriel ran to pick out what clothes he wanted to wear, Castiel finished making the sandwich and put it with some other snacks he had for Gabe in a big man purse, which mostly resembled a diaper bag. Today was the day that Castiel would sit down with the men of McGraw Publishing to talk about his newest manuscript, in hopes of getting it turned into a book. His ex-husband Balthazar's child support wasn't doing enough anymore, so now seemed like the perfect time to make his dreams come true.

Castiel had been married to Balthazar for four years, and in their last year of marriage, they adopted Gabriel, fresh from the womb, one might say. Even though Balthazar wasn't making much money as a drummer for some band, and he wasn't even home that often, Castiel was happy. But once they had Gabriel, and Castiel had to do everything on his own, and Balthazar hardly ever came around to see his son, Castiel decided that he'd had enough.

They divorced four years ago, and Castiel had taken sole custody of Gabriel. He was a little shattered when Balthazar didn't even fight to keep either of them, and he just let Castiel have everything he wanted without dispute. It was as if they didn't mean anything to him anymore.

Castiel had done all sorts of jobs, really anything he could to make sure that Gabriel was taken care of. If this book got published, it could be the answer to his prayers. Except, he'd stopped praying a while ago.

He had to do this for Gabriel.

* * *

Castiel walked with his heavy bag slung on his left shoulder, a hand on the strap to secure it, while he carried Gabriel in his other arm, the boy wrapping his small legs around Castiel's torso. The only time he would let go of his bag strap was to hold up a hand for a second in an attempt to hail a taxi. He huffed when no one was stopping. How could _none _of them pity him in this situation?

Finally, a taxi stopped, and he sighed in relief, opening the door and putting Gabriel inside. "Oh, hey, god, can we share that with you?" Castiel heard someone say behind him. He turned to see a taller, gorgeous man with bright, green eyes, tanned skin, and freckles peppering his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, holding the hand of a small boy who looked very much like him. When Castiel simply nodded in return, the man smiled with perfect teeth, the skin around his eyes crinkling. "Okay, great, thanks man."

Castiel slid in, putting Gabriel in his lap, and then came in the man's son, followed by the man with the pretty eyes. "It's no problem," Castiel told him. Then he leaned forward, telling the cabbie, "I need to get to McGraw Publishing, please."

"And I need to get to that place where they write The Revere Gazette, thanks," the other man said to the driver. He smiled at Castiel. "Got your hands full, huh?"

Castiel sighed, nodding. "You have no idea. This one can be a real troublemaker." As they talked, Gabriel slid of Castiel's lap to be near this other man's boy. They began flicking and teasing each other, whispering things.

"I got lucky with Sammy. He tends to behave himself." The man looked down at his son, his eyebrows raised. "Hey, leave that boy alone," he said in a low voice, grabbing one of his son's hands.

"Dad, he started it," Sam said, looking up at his father with an agitated expression. "He _always_ starts it. He always pinches me so that I'll punch him, and he'll cry and get me sent to the corner."

"You know each other?" Castiel asked Gabriel, who was squirming in his arms.

"He bullies me at the daycare. I don't like him," Gabe replied, pulling up a foot to kick Sam lightly.

"Hey!" Sam reached out, smacking Gabriel's leg away. "See! He's getting me in trouble again." Both the boys said in unison, "I don't wanna sit by him!"

The dads murmured things as they pulled their sons away from each other, putting them by the doors as they both scooted into the middle seat. Castiel turned, not realizing how close he was now to the handsome stranger until they were face to face. "Uh, I uh…" He swallowed, chuckling at himself. "I apologize for Gabriel."

Gabriel attempted to climb back into Castiel's lap, pouting. "Mommy, Sam is always mean to me. He beats me up and the other kids make fun of me."

Castiel looked down at his son, moving him back to the door. "Let the grownups talk, okay sweetheart?"

The other man raised an eyebrow, then couldn't contain his laughter. His son laughed with him, though he probably didn't know why they were laughing. When Castiel looked at him again, confused, the man asked, "Did that boy just call you _Mommy_?"

Castiel's nice face slowly turned into a face that wasn't very friendly, and actually looked kinda scary. "Is there a problem with that?" If this guy was going to be a homophobe, he would be forced to kick his ass in front of both of their sons.

As the other man wiped a hand across his eye, his laughter calming down, Castiel waited for his reply, which was, "No, it's just…now that horrendous bag makes sense." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Having to play Mommy for a day? Guess your wife is at work?" Castiel remained in a stunned silence, and the man added, "Nothing to be too embarrassed about, man. When I used to carry my wife's diaper bag around, Sam would call me Mommy too."

Castiel's anger deescalated, and he let out a deep breath, looking down at his son. "Actually, no. I divorced my _husband _a few years ago, so I am Gabriel's Mommy every day."

The other man's eyes widened a little, and he noticeably swallowed. "Oh, I'm…I'm sorry, I had no idea." They were quiet for a second, and he cleared his throat, inquiring, "Why didn't your husband let Gabriel call you Daddy?"

That was a surprise. "Uh, well we started doing that because we thought it might confuse Gabe to call both of us Daddy. I never really minded it. But Balthazar only stuck around a year after Gabe was born – hardly – so there was really no reason to ever do that. I just couldn't stop calling myself Mommy in front of him."

Suddenly an Oreo was thrown from Castiel's side of the car, and it hit Sam in the side of the head. Both dads looked at Gabe, who looked way too smug for a five-year-old. The nice, understanding look on the other man's face was gone, and he was holding his son in his arms. "Hey, will you get that kid of yours under control?"

Castiel scoffed. "_My _kid? What about your kid? He admitted that he **hits** my son at daycare. Don't you care about that?"

"Oh come on," the other man complained, rolling his eyes, "if it was really that bad, don't you think that the daycare people would've called us in or something? Or wouldn't you have noticed the bruises?"

Gabe threw another Oreo, and Castiel lifted him up so they were eyelevel. "I swear, mister, if you don't calm down, I'll put you in that daycare until my meeting is over; don't think I won't." His voice and expression weren't nearly as threatening as they'd been to the other man earlier.

"Oh, hey, that's a really good idea," the other man said. "Why don't you take Sammy, too? I've got some stuff I've gotta do."

Castiel looked taken aback. "Are you kidding? No way. And why would you entrust me with your child, anyway? We've only just met, and since then our sons have both declared their hatred for one another."

With a sigh, the other man said, "Because, right now I'm on my way to my wife's work to get her to sign these divorce papers," he pulled the corner of an envelope out of his jacket, just to show, before pushing it back in, "and I would rather Sammy didn't have to be around for that. And I'm desperate."

Suddenly, Castiel's faced drooped, and he could feel himself being overtaken by pity. After a moment of silence, he asked, "What's your name?"

"Dean Winchester."

Castiel wet his lips, reaching out a hand. "Castiel Novak. I guess I'll take your kid, if you trust me."

Dean grinned. "How can I trust you? I just met you." He still shook Castiel's hand.

Shaking his head, Castiel mumbled, "You're a real piece of work, Mr. Winchester." He leaned forward to tell the cabbie to take Dean to the newspaper place first, and to then take him to the Happy Smiles Academy daycare. When he looked back at Dean, he was being smiled at. This made Castiel feel a little embarrassed, and he decided to concentrate on his son.

Dean watched Castiel for a little while longer, taking in his tousled, dark hair and bright blue eyes. His suit was perfectly pressed, so Dean assumed he must be a businessman of some kind. Dean was in his most casual suit – light gray with a white button up, no tie – and a black trench coat. He looked a little bit closer at the other man and noticed that Castiel's suit – complete with jacket and vest – was actually really dark blue, not black like his tie, and he liked that. Castiel wasn't wearing a coat of any kind, and Dean wondered if he was cold.

Then, his phone rang, and Sam reached into his pocket, pulling it out for him. He smiled, taking the phone from him. "Thanks, Sammy." He answered with not the most polite voice. "Hey, Meg. Whatcha up to?"

**"So am I canceling all of your appointments for today, or just the ones for the first half of the day? We both know you can't really afford a full day off work."**

Dean was about to make a snarky reply, but then he glanced at Castiel, who still appeared too nervous to look his way, and decided to have some fun with the not-so-bad-looking stranger. "Oh, really? You miss me that bad already?"

**"Don't screw around, Dean."**

"Yeah?" He chuckled a little. "Well, we might just have to do something about that." As Meg remained confused on the other end, Dean noticed in his peripheral vision that Castiel shifted slightly. In the deepest, sexiest voice he could muster, he asked, his lips grazing the phone, "Are you wearing panties today?"

Castiel's head snapped in his direction.

**"What the hell are you talking about? I thought you were past this shit. You know hooking up with me won't get rid of this frustration you have about the divorce."**

Dean swallowed, doing his best to ignore that comment. "Oh yeah, what color are they?" It took all he had not to laugh when Castiel covered Gabriel's ears in horror. "Yeah, just let me get these papers signed, and then I'll swing by, baby."

**"You're with a woman, aren't you?"**

"Yeah, baby, but she's not near as pretty as you," Dean replied, turning to look at Castiel, putting an arm on the back of the seat, behind the smaller man. "Plus she's in a suit, and I'm not sure if that's a turn on or not."

Castiel scoffed, looking totally disgusted. "Excuse me, driver, can you stop here?" he asked, not looking away from Dean. When the car stopped, Castiel took Gabriel in his arms, getting out of the cab. Dean and Sam also came out, and Dean feigned surprise. Castiel shook his head, covering Gabriel's ears again as best he could with the boy trying to get away from him. "How dare you talk about things like that in front of my son? And don't you have any respect for your own child?"

Dean laughed. "Of course I do. That's why I don't keep secrets from him." He tugged on Sam's arm so he'd come out from hiding behind his leg. "Go with Gabriel and his Mommy, and I'll pick you up soon, okay?" Sam nodded, and Dean gave Castiel one last smile. "See you later, Masculine Mommy."

With that, he jogged away, and Castiel just stuttered, not able to get out his complaint in time. _'No wonder he's getting a divorce,' _Castiel thought, _'there's another woman. And I'm _helping _him?'_

When he was a safe distance away, Dean pulled out his phone, calling Meg back. "Sorry sweetheart, I was trying to get a reaction out of someone."

**"She pretty?"** Meg asked.

"Totally pretty." Dean chuckled.

**"Was it the reaction you wanted?"**

Dean laughed, thinking about the face Castiel had made. "Yeah. She hated me. It was adorable."

* * *

**A/N: **So what do you guys think of Masculine Mommy Cas?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Second chapter. Hope you guys enjoy. These chapters are just coming to me so easily, and I guess that's because I'm being influenced by a movie. But those of you who've seen the movie can tell I'm not taking too much from it.

The only downside is, I can only really write a new chapter when I get to go home on the weekends, and I comb through the movie for quotes and scenes that I like. Because of that, this story might take quite a while to complete.

* * *

Castiel walked quickly down the street, holding Gabriel's hand in his right and Sam's hand in his left. He looked around at the shops, trying to figure out what street they were on. He was fuming. This _Dean Winchester _had just left his son with him like a suitcase more than a child, and had the gull to talk sex with another woman right in front of the kids. "Just, where do you get the nerve to talk like that?" Castiel asked himself. "And in front of _children_. You talk about not keeping secrets – so you're just totally open with you five-year-old son about the affair you had? What kind of **sicko**!"

Gabriel leaned across his father as they walked to whisper to Sam, "My mommy hates your dad."

Sam scrunched up his nose, sticking out his tongue at the other boy. "Oh yeah? Well my dad hates your mommy."

"So?"

"So?" During this, Castiel continuously mumbled to himself about Dean's disregard for what is right and what is wrong to talk about when it comes to children, when Sam cried out, "Oh no!"

Immediately Castiel stopped to kneel down by the boy, inspecting him with worry. "What's wrong? Did you get stung by a bee? Well of course you didn't; it's autumn. But do you have to go to the bathroom?"

The small boy's face was quickly turning red and a few tears snaked their way down his cheeks. "I forgot Dinoroar."

Castiel looked at him questioningly. "Dinoroar?"

Gabriel stood on his tiptoes to curl a hand around his father's ear and whisper, "It's his favorite thing. He goes crazy without it."

"He's my stuffed tricerolatops," Sam confirmed. He started to quietly cry. "We have to go back. I left him in the taxi."

Castiel laughed a little, nervously. "I'm sorry, but you don't understand. We'd never find him. Do you know how many _taxis _there are in New York? If you left him on a bus, maybe, but with _taxis_?" And so, Sam started loudly crying, and Castiel frantically did the best he could to quiet him down, shushing him lightly and saying things like, "It's okay! It's okay, I promise, it's fine." Of course, people walking by looked horrified, as if Castiel had abused Sam in some way.

"I have to have my Dinoroar," Sam insisted between hiccups. "My dad is going to murder me if I don't get him back. He told me not to lose him today."

Castiel sighed, rolling his eyes. "Ugh, your _father_. Well, let me tell you, your father is not going to murder you as long as I'm around." He stood, taking hold of both the boys' hands again. "We can't get back Dinoroar, but what if I got you a new stuffed animal? You can make a new friend, and you can let Dinoroar go explore all of New York."

Sam thought about it before nodding, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "Dinoroar would like that."

They walked as quickly as they could, being held back a little by Gabriel's short legs, to the nearest toy store. Once inside, Castiel let out a sigh of relief. "Okay boys, stay in sight. Gabriel, why don't you help Sam find a new best friend? I've gotta make a quick phone call." The boys ran off giggling, and Castiel decided he'd walk after them slowly, just to make sure he had a constant visual of them. He pulled out his cellphone, dialing the number, and waited until he heard his brother pick up on the other end. "Michael, thank God you're there. Listen, if I ever act interested in another man, will you _please_ shoot me?"

**"Oh, hey Cassie. Listen uh-"**

"I have had the **worst **day so far, you wouldn't believe it," Castiel complained, "and I just get the feeling it's going to keep getting worse. I need to ask you for a favor, and please don't say no."

He heard Michael groan on the other end before he replied, **"If you're about to ask me if I can watch Gabriel, then forget it."**

"Well, it wouldn't just be Gabriel," Castiel clarified. "I kinda have this other guy's kid too, and I'm really too busy to watch both of them right now. My meeting is in like two hours, and now I'm on the other side of town, or for God sakes I could be in another city, I have no idea where I am. I would just need you to watch them until one, that's all I'm asking. And how could you not watch them for me, I mean I'm your little brother. And this meeting could, could end up being one of the biggest moments of my life."

Another groan from Michael before he replied, **"Cassie, even if I wanted to watch the kids – and I can't stress enough that I **_**don't**_** want to watch them – there's nothing I can do to help you. I'm working today, I was just about to leave."**

Castiel was quiet, pondering that for a second. "But you never work on Tuesdays. And today is Tuesday."

And that was when he heard it, a woman's voice in the background. **"Hurry it up, will ya darling?"** the voice pleaded. That definitely wasn't the voice of Daphne, Michael's wife.

Castiel gasped loudly, causing a few people around him to look over. "Michael, who was that?" Before Michael could answer, as it sounded he was trying to get the other woman to keep quiet, Castiel exclaimed, "You have another woman over?!"

**"Look, Cassie,"** Michael begged, a nervous laugh tinging his voice, **"you** cannot** tell Daphne, she'd have my balls. This is the first time, and she means nothing to me."** Castiel heard protesting from the other girl.

Quickly, he hung up, completely enraged. "Why are all men such snakes?!"

Gabriel and Sam ran back up to Castiel, and Gabriel pulled on his pants leg. "What's wrong, Mommy?"

Castiel looked down at them, uncovering his eyes from his hands, and he sighed, bending down. "Promise me, that someday, when you get married, that you'll…or you know what? Promise Mommy that you won't get married until you're 40, okay?"

"Was that Daddy?" Gabriel asked.

For a long time, Castiel was just quiet. He hated thinking about his ex-husband. He'd spent all the night before crying about him after Gabriel went to bed, and today he'd been so busy he'd forgotten to hate the guy. After a while, he noticed that Sam was holding a rather large stuffed lizard. "Is that the one you want, Sam?"

Sam nodded. "He's an iguana. His name is Gerald."

"Mommy, we're hungry," Gabriel complained, hanging off his father's arm. "Can we go get something to eat? I want burgers and ice cream."

Castiel thought about it a second, then nodded, deciding that he couldn't send the boys to daycare with empty stomachs, because Gabe always came home hungry from that place anyway. "Yeah, yeah we'll stop to eat somewhere real quick, but then we really have to head to the daycare, okay? I can't be late for my meeting." He glanced out the big front windows and smiled wide. "A bus! Oh God, yes, thank you! A bus!" He tried to run out so quickly with the kids that he nearly forgot to pay for Gerald.

* * *

"What the hell do you mean, she's not here?" Dean asked furiously to the secretary on Lisa's floor. He'd just arrived not too long ago, huffed it up the stairs because there were **far **too many people in the elevator, and finally made it only to hear- "She's not here? Where the hell else would she be? I told her last night that I was coming first thing in the morning. She couldn't have waited until after she saw me to go gallivanting around the city?"

"Mr. Winchester, Lisa left about thirty minutes ago to do work on her newest story. If you wanted to talk to her, you should've gotten here sooner," the secretary informed him. "Because it is now 10:25, which is not first thing in the morning."

Dean smiled, because if he didn't smile, he would start throwing things off her neat, tidy, little desk. "Then tell me where she is," he said in the calmest voice he could manage.

"I'm sorry, there's no way I can do that."

At that, he turned away, running his left hand through his gelled hair (because his trench coat was folded over his other arm) and laughing angrily. "Do you have any idea what I've been through this morning? I had to hurry all over town, I even had to leave my son with a _stranger_, because I was trying to get my ass over here in time to speak with this woman. _This _kind of shit is the reason I'm divorcing her. She never keeps her word to me, or to Sammy! And she can't spare one moment for either of us!"

The secretary stared at him with what looked like a mixture of surprise and pity. Finally, she sighed, leaning across her desk. "Look," she mumbled, "I'm not allowed to tell you where she is. It's against the rules." When Dean scoffed, she added, "Have you heard about the charity auction they're having down on 11th tonight? It's for the, uh…" She thought for a moment before saying, "Well, I don't know what the hell it's for, but it's supposed to be a big deal. _Everyone _is gonna be there."

Dean pondered what she said for a second, then he smiled, picking up the hint. "Thanks."

* * *

Castiel and the boys were sitting in a quaint little pizzeria. Could you say that about a pizza shop in New York? Were they usually _quaint_? Castiel, himself, was enjoying what might've been his second or third slice of pizza – he was being totally bad, but he told himself that it was because of stress. He wasn't letting himself go, he was letting himself _go_. He glanced at the boys, who had barely touched their food. "Guys?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

Gabriel looked at Sam, who gave him a look that said _you'd better not tell, or so help me, I'll sock you the next time your dad has his back turned_. Even so, Gabriel looked to Castiel guiltily. "We lied."

"You're not hungry?" Castiel queried. "Then why did we have to stop to eat?"

"We was stalling," Sam answered, looking at Gabriel with flames in his eyes.

"We just really don't wanna go to daycare, Mommy. Everyone there is mean," Gabe clarified. "They make fun of us 'cause we're small."

Castiel cocked a brow. "You're two of the oldest boys there."

"Some of the four-year-olds really eat their green beans," Sam said like it was a big deal. "They can be almost as big as Gabe, and then he's such a wuss, he never fights back." Gabriel just stuck his tongue out at him in return.

With a sigh, Castiel stood. "I'm sorry guys." He wiped his mouth with a napkin. "You're just going to have to be tough for today, okay? Gabe, I promise next week we'll start looking for a new daycare, but for today you guys have to go there, because I have to get to my meeting, and I only have an hour."

"Is that a lot?" Sam asked.

"No, it's not."

Gabriel slid out of the booth, and Sam started to slide out after him, an arm still up on the table, when he knocked over a soda, which – of course – spilled all over the front of Castiel's vest and pants. Castiel gasped loudly, looking at Sam in horror, whose only reply was, "Oops. Sorry Castiel."

Castiel grumbled something about how Sam did that on purpose before saying, "Wait right here. I have to make another phone call. Sam, what's your dad's number?" After getting the number, he reluctantly went to the bathroom and pulled out his phone. As he examined his now-ruined suit, he waited for Dean to pick up.

**"Hello?"**

His voice was even sexier over the phone. "Oh umm, hello, Mr. Winchester?" Castiel asked, having now lost his composure at the sound of that voice.

**"Who's this?"**

"It's Castiel Novak. I'm watching your son, Sam." He heard a sigh from the other end.

**"Look, I appreciate you doing that, but what is it? I'm kinda in a rush here. My wife never likes to stay in one place for too long."**

Castiel grimaced. "Listen, you have to come and get the boys right now."

**"Why the hell would I do that?"**

With a sigh, Castiel replied, "Well, one, because I did it for you. And two, because your darling son just spilt soda all over me, and I only have an hour until the most important meeting of my life."

**"Isn't there anyone else you could call?"**

"Believe me," Castiel said in the most pleasant voice he could muster, "I wouldn't be calling you if there was anyone else I could call. I don't have time to go home, get changed, _and _take them to the daycare. I need you to do it."

**"What the hell have you been doing with them for the past hour?"**

Castiel pulled the phone away from his face, wanting to lay his head on the wall, but not trusting the cleanliness of the room. He let out a deep breath before answering, "It's a long story, okay? Mr. Winchester, I just need you to take them to the daycare. I'm pretty sure it's not far from here, but my apartment is in the other direction, and I really don't have time for any more games."

There was a chuckle on the other end, a deep, throaty, sexy chuckle. **"I like it when you call me Mr. Winchester."**

Castiel did everything he could not to scream, swallowing it all down as best he could. "Are you going to come and get them, or not?" he asked, his voice a bit quieter now, more controlled.

There was a moment of silence on the line, followed by the sigh of someone who was having to end their party too soon. **"I'll come get them. If I know Lisa, she'll probably stay at that auction place for a few hours, talk to everybody. I'll watch them until one. That'll give you enough time, right?"**

Momentarily confused, Castiel replied, "You don't have to watch them, just take them to the daycare."

**"We both know they hate it there. That's why you didn't take them there right away, right?"**

Castiel thought about admitting to the whole Dinoroar incident, because of course Dean would notice the second he picked up the kids, but he instead bit his tongue. "Yeah, you're right. Okay, hurry over here, will you?" He gave Dean the address before hanging up.

When Dean showed up about twenty minutes later, he was immediately laughing his ass off, just at the sight of disheveled Castiel. "That's great. My son did that to you?" he asked, grinning.

Castiel ignored the question, looking down at Gabriel every once in a while as if he was standing at the terminal in an airport, about to put his son on a plane to Africa. "Thanks for doing this."

"Sure, but I'm doing it for them," Dean told him. "It's hard enough being a kid." At this time, he pulled a cherry sucker from his pocket, unwrapping it, and popping it into his mouth.

Castiel scoffed. "Yeah, and you would know."

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

Dean just smiled at him, the sucker making his right cheek huge. "You know what my mom used to tell me?"

"Gee, no I don't."

"Love your guy like a little boy, and he'll grow into a man."

"Huh?"

Dean repeated. "Love your guy like a little boy, and he'll grow into a man."

Castiel swallowed before wetting his lips. "She knew back then that you were gay?"

Dean just smiled again, pulling the sucker out of his mouth to point it at Castiel. "'M not gay."

"Then why did she advise you on how guys wanna be loved?" He looked up to hail a cab, yelling, "Taxi!" It started to pull over.

"She was just hoping I'd meet a woman like that someday," Dean clarified.

Without missing a beat, Castiel turned to Dean, putting his hands on his hips. "You know, I really can't stand it, those people who blame their worse traits on everyone but themselves." He knelt down, giving Gabriel one last look over.

Dean laughed. "Oh okay." A second later, his face changed to angry confusion. "Hey, what r'you talking about?"

Castiel looked up at him with a quick sigh. "You're blaming your Peter Pan complex on your mother."

"What Peter Pan complex."

"The one you're so proud of."

"You wanna be friends?" Dean asked, voice still angry.

"I don't have time for friends." Castiel looked at Gabriel again. "Sweetie, are you sure you wanna go with this guy? Are you going to get along with Sam okay?" Gabriel nodded, so Castiel stood, looking to Dean again. "Gabriel is allergic to shellfish and dander. He's got a real sweet tooth, but don't let him talk you into getting him a lot of candy. And, also, he's not allowed to watch commercial TV." The taxi honked for him, so he started walking that way, still looking at Dean as he talked. "And no matter what he says, he has to hold your hand at all times, not just when you're crossing the street. Oh and also, if you go to the playground, I like to check out the sandbox first, because you never know what kinds of things people leave in there. And…" He stopped, just to stare at his son, before he took a deep breath and got into the taxi, which quickly drove away.

**A/N: **Thanks to Khoshekh42 for reviewing the first chapter! You're going on the wall of fame.

Wall of Fame

Khoshekh42

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	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Sorry it's been so long since I updated this. Long story short, this past year was super shitty, and I wasn't in a good mindset to be writing. But this year should be better, I can feel it. Thanks to anyone who's still interested in this.

* * *

Castiel's nervous heart was pounding in his chest. His taxi had just dropped him off at McGraw Publishing, and he was walking up to the building as quickly as he could. He'd already been home, and was now dressed in a clean suit – espresso brown pants and jacket, with a beige cardigan over a light blue shirt and a brown, gold and dark blue striped tie, and a dark blue pocket square. Castiel was about to have one of the biggest moments of his life, and he looked stunning. Plus, he was warmer now.

Even so, that wasn't why his heart felt like it was running a rat race. The thought of leaving Gabriel with _Dean Winchester_ made his stomach squirm. Not only did he hardly know the guy, but from what Castiel could tell, he was a sleazebag, and Castiel just didn't want to have to trust him. However, he still found himself smiling a little when he thought of the guy. Dean was just a tad too charming, and it made Castiel momentarily forget that he was probably like all other men.

He entered the lobby and told the secretary who he was, and she instructed him to go to the twelfth floor. Before going to the elevator, Castiel decided to call Dean.

When he called, Dean and the boys were just arriving at the zoo. Dean was paying their way in, and Sam and Gabriel were trying to see who did the better impersonation of a lion. Dean's phone started vibrating in his pocket, so he pulled it out, smiling at the number. "Hey Mommy," he said smoothly after answering.

**"How're the kids?"**

Dean smiled, looking at Gabriel and Sam, whose interests were now piqued. "What kids?" He mouthed Mommy to them, and they giggled. Dean bent down by them so they could listen.

**"You don't have the kids?"**

The boys practically yelled into the phone, "Hi Mommy!"

It made Castiel's heart skip a beat, and he smiled, sitting down on a bench as Dean said, **"Oh, you mean those kids."**

Castiel didn't want to laugh, but he did let out a chuckle, to his dismay. "I was just calling-"

**"You just wanted to call and check up on me, because you don't really trust me."** He could hear Dean holding the phone away from his face a little as he jokingly said, **"Gabe- Gabe! No! Put the gun down!"** Castiel laughed again, and Dean continued, saying, **"And you only asked me to watch Gabriel out of sheer desperation, and part of you would feel safer with him at the daycare that he hates, isn't that true?"**

Castiel couldn't stop smiling, answering, "No, that is not true. I only wanted to warn you that Gabriel can get into trouble faster than you can make most women smile."

He could almost hear Dean's smirk on the other end of the phone. **"Are you flirting with me?"**

For a second, Castiel said nothing, then stuttered before he finally got out, "Would you please just really pay attention to him?"

**"I won't let him outta my sight."** Again, Dean called out away from the phone, **"Gabe! Guns aren't toys."** Then he murmured into the phone reassuringly, **"It's not loaded."**

Castiel smiled again. "Bye." Then he hung up.

* * *

As they stood by the orangutan exhibit, Dean was tying Gabe's shoe. "Gabe?" When the little boy looked up from watching Dean's work with his shoelaces, he asked, "How long've your mommy and daddy been divorced?"

Gabe looked like he was thinking hard. "I don't know," he replied. "I don't even remember if I was there." Dean chuckled, and Gabriel continued, "It doesn't matter really, 'cause Mommy said he'll always love him."

"Do you see your dad a lot?" Dean asked, putting down the boy's foot.

"Yeah, pretty much, usually. He has a different schedule than a lot of other dads. He's a drummer, and his favorite thing to do is take me to the park. I'm gonna get to spend a lot of the summer with him, Mommy said. Just us. And maybe Mommy too."

Dean took each of the boys' hands and walked with them down the sidewalk. "Your dad's a drummer, huh? Sounds like a great guy." His tone was less than enthusiastic.

They continued walking around the zoo, finally coming to the bird house. Gabriel wasn't paying attention, and didn't realize where they were until they were already inside. He gasped, looking around and hiding behind Dean's leg.

Dean looked down at him, confused. "Hey, what's the matter sport? Don't like birds?" Gabe just shook his head, his face still buried in Dean's thigh. The man laughed. "Why not?" Gabriel didn't reply, so Dean bent down to look at him. "Are you okay?" The little boy shook his head, looking scared out of his mind. Dean swallowed. "Look, birds won't hurt you, okay? Just try looking around, they're really pretty." Gabe refused, so Dean looked at Sam, who was just a few feet away, gazing at all the birds flying around in awe. "See? Sam loves it."

A few more seconds of hesitancy, then Gabriel peeked over at Sam, who was so happy-looking. Gabriel stayed attached to Dean's leg for a few minutes, just watching Sam and contemplating if he should join him. Dean was patient, just smiling down at the boy. Finally, Gabriel slowly walked over to Sam and held his hand, looking around at everything. Sam just smiled at him, pointing out certain birds. Within no time, they were both smiling widely, running around while still holding hands.

It really made Dean smile so much, he thought his face might crack in half.

After being at the zoo for an hour or so, the boys started to get hungry. Dean just had his back turned for five seconds so he could buy them all hot dogs at this little hot dog cart, when Sam called out, "Dad!"

Dean turned, hot dogs in hand, and his eyes widened a little bit. "Oh…uh." Gabriel had a peanut – shell and all – shoved really far up his nose. Where he got the peanut, Dean wasn't sure. "Umm…" He walked over, handing the hot dogs to Sam who began eating one. He crouched down in front of Gabe, inspecting the damage. "Damn kid, how'd you get that so far up your nose?" After staring at the guilt-stricken five-year-old for another minute, he sighed. "Okay, come on, let's go."

"Go where?" Sam asked, his mouth full of hot dog.

"To the hospital."

"Why?"

"Because if I try to get that thing out, and it puts even the smallest scratch on him, Castiel will never let me hear the end of it. Hell, he might even sue me," Dean answered his son. He couldn't help but smile when Sam had consumed about half of his hot dog already.

* * *

After waiting for what felt like an hour in the waiting room, they were spending another forever in the doctor's office, awaiting the doctor's arrival. Gabe sat on the table/bench thing, looking defeated.

"You're so stupid," Sam told him, leaning on the table with an exhausted expression.

"I'm not stupid," Gabriel replied, his voice sounding funny, as if he were sick with a stuffy nose. Like a regular stuffed nose. Not a peanut stuffed nose.

"Are so. You ruined a perfectly good peanut."

"You're gonna be fine," Dean assured him. "The doctor's just gonna pop that thing outta there."

"How come you couldn't do it?" Gabe asked.

Dean sat on a stool, folding his hands in his lap. "Well, you know, little nose, big peanut. But see, the doctor he's gonna have this, this clamp thing that's gonna come up and just yank it right out." As he said this, he hoisted Sam into his lap. "And you are gonna be _fine_. You just gotta not worry about it and you gotta not think about it. You gotta think about…something else. You gotta think about-"

Before he could finish his sentence, in walked the doctor with a pair of large tong-looking things. "Hello Gabriel," he said, snapping them a little.

Gabe looked absolutely terrified.

* * *

Castiel was sitting with the top executives of McGraw Publishing – Zachariah, and his son Samandriel, who preferred to be called Zach and Alfie, respectively. They had been discussing Castiel's book for about an hour. He tapped fingers on his knee nervously. The time was approaching one, which was the cutoff time for Dean's babysitting services. Castiel was thrilled about the meeting, but he was wishing it would be over already so he could go get his son.

"Well," Zach said as he leaned back in his chair, smiling at Castiel, "we are very interested in publishing this book."

Castiel laughed nervously and excitedly. "That's great," he said with much enthusiasm. "That's just really great. Thank you so much."

Glancing at his watch, Zach stated, "I don't suppose you'd be up for a late lunch, around 3:30, so we can discuss publishing?"

Without thinking, Castiel nodded quickly. "Yes, that sounds great."

Alfie piped up, "How about we go to that little sushi and steakhouse, what's it called?" He looked to his father.

Zach pondered it for a minute, before replying, "Are you talking about that place, just a few blocks from here?"

It was around this time that Castiel remembered that he had to pick up his son soon. His insides squirmed, and he stood. "Excuse me, gentlemen, but I have something I really need to tend to. Could you please call me with the lunch details?"

Zach looked a bit surprised, but smiled, nonetheless. "Of course, Castiel. We'll see you at 3:30. Come hungry."

Castiel stood at the elevator, impatiently tapping his foot. Repeatedly tapping the call button wasn't speeding up the elevator, so he groaned, pulling out his cell phone. He dialed Dean's number, praying that he'd answer. There was a click when the other man picked up, and Castiel spouted, "Dean, I just got out of my meeting-"

**"Lisa just called me,"** Dean told him, interrupting. **"She's really pissed that I showed up at her work earlier. She wants to meet up so we cat get the papers signed."** He didn't specify that he meant the divorce papers, hoping that Castiel could put two and two together, so he wouldn't have to admit anything in front of Sam. Dean pressed his lips into a flat line, patting Sam's hair. "I've got the kids, we're in a cab right now. I have to take them to the daycare. I can't take them with me to see Lisa. I would wait for you to come and get them, but Lisa has a fire under her ass, so I've gotta hurry."

Gabriel whispered to Sam, "Your dad really cusses a lot."

Castiel sighed, the elevator finally arriving. "Okay, you can take them to the daycare. Just make sure that they're okay before you leave." He held the doors open with one hand, knowing he'd lose signal if he stepped open.

**"Yeah, yeah okay,"** Dean rushed. **"I promise I'll make sure they're checked in and everything."**

After that, they hung up, and Castiel stepped into the elevator. He sighed, just staring at his phone. He felt a little sorry for Dean, having to drag kids around the city - one of which wasn't even his - just so he could get his divorce papers signed. Then he scoffed, folding his arms. Dean had obviously cheated on his wife. He deserved a little suffering.

Castiel glanced at the time when he reached the lobby. He had plenty of time before his lunch meeting with the McGraw boys, and he really wanted to see Gabriel. He planned to hurry over to the daycare, just to check on him and tell him when he would be back to take him home. Poor Gabriel was probably scared and confused, running around with a complete stranger and his son.

It took a few tries to wave down a cab driver, but finally a taxi stopped, and Castiel slid into the back seat. He gave the address of the daycare center, then leaned back, trying his best to relax.

When the cab pulled up to the Happy Smiles Academy daycare, Castiel quickly paid his fee before flying up the stairs to the building. He asked the secretary about Gabriel Novak, and she told him that Gabriel had already been checked in. Castiel let out a deep breath, thanking her before going to the large playroom.

He paused when he saw Gabriel and Sam sitting in front of a little puppet show. The boys giggled at the sock puppets - one pink and yellow, the other orange and green. Castiel slowly approached, a smile growing on his face. Gabriel didn't usually like strangers, so it was rare to see anyone besides himself that could make his child laugh like that.

Then the orange and green puppet held up a watch in its mouth, and the pink and yellow puppet stated in a high voice, "Now Sammy, when the little hand is on the two, and the big hand is on the six, your daddy will be back to get you." Castiel froze as Dean stood from behind the little puppet stand. He quickly changed his expression to one that was more grim as Dean handed Sam his watch.

Dean noticed Castiel standing there, and couldn't help his smirk. "Hey," he called out, getting the younger man's attention. "What are you doin' here?"

Castiel turned to him, his arms crossed. "Well, umm...I was just checking on my son. I see you got him here in one piece."

Rolling his eyes, Dean reminded Castiel, "I'm a father too, y'know. I think I know what I'm doing." He half smiled. "You look nice. How did the meeting go?"

Castiel scoffed. "As if you care. And don't just compliment me when you're about to go see your wife."

At this time, Gabe slipped Castiel's phone out of his pocket, making a ringing sound. Sam saw this, and giggled, taking Dean's phone and saying into it, "Hello?"

"What's your problem with me, anyway?" Dean asked bitterly, his smile gone. "I took care of your kid, and we just met today. Not a lot of people do that for strangers."

Gabriel said something about how his phone wasn't working, so he and Sam traded phones. Somehow, that cleared up their reception.

Sighing, Castiel looked away. "Yes, I know. And I appreciate you taking care of Gabriel, really I do." He looked at Dean with stern eyes. "But there are several times when your conduct is completely inappropriate. Like this morning, in the cab, when you were on the phone with that woman."

Dean groaned. "You don't even-"

"Your divorce isn't finalized yet, and you're talking like that in front of your son-"

Dean shushed Castiel frantically, looking down at Sam, who seemed oblivious to their conversation. Then he shook his head. "Look I don't have time for this. I have things I've gotta do." He turned to Sam, taking his phone back and putting it in his pocket. "I'll be back later Sammy. Remember, little hand on the two, big hand on the six." When Sam nodded, Dean ruffled his hair before running out.

Castiel fumed, shaking his head. He knelt down in front of Gabriel, and asked, "Do you think you'll be okay here with Sam for just a few more hours? I have another meeting soon, but after that, I promise we'll do something together." Gabriel gave him a nod before handing over his phone. Castiel smiled, kissing Gabriel's forehead. "Okay, I love you." He stood, waving at Sam. "Bye Sam. Keep an eye on him, okay?" With that, he left.

* * *

**A/N: **You guys really leave sweet reviews. Welcome to the wall of fame.

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